“If it wasn’t for you guys sitting in the stands,” Valenzuela said with a wide smile, “nothing would have happened.”
Dodgers broadcasters Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser have bridged their generation gap to become a formidable team in the booth.
“I never caught anyone who could do more with a baseball than Fernando,” said Scioscia, Valenzuela’s former teammate and the catcher of“Fernando went out on the mound fearless, made pitches on any count . . . with a confidence you just don’t see.” Valenzuela won 173 games and posted a 3.54 ERA during his 17 big league seasons, 11 of which were spent with the Dodgers from 1980-1990. He anchored some of the franchise’s most dominant pitching staffs, went to the All-Star Game six times, and won both the Cy Young Award and rookie of the year in 1981.“I’ve been asked many times, ‘What is the best moment in my career?’” Valenzuela said. “Right away, I say, ‘The 1981 World Series.’ I think that’s the best moment for me.
That 1981 season, when “Fernandomania” took hold of the city after Valenzuela’s eight consecutive complete-game wins to begin the season, is etched in baseball lore. It was the moment the world was introduced to the thick left-hander from a small town in Mexico, his unique delivery in which he’d briefly roll his eyes to the sky for a quick glance at the heavens, and his looping trademark screwball that was nearly unhittable during the peak of his career.
“The first thing that comes to mind, is Fernandomania,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who considers Valenzuela a close friend. “Tonight is a great night to celebrate him.”
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